HVAC: What You Should Know Before You Begin

TIP! Before an HVAC expert comes to your home to do any repair work, walk around the home and check out the temps in every room. Determine which rooms are hotter or colder than they should be.

Keeping your HVAC system running well is important, but not everybody knows how to accomplish that.Learning about selecting the best HVAC professional to maintain or repair services is a wise move for any smart homeowner. The tips that follow will help put you in a great position.

TIP! Clean the debris on your condenser units. Wind can pile up all sorts of debris against its grill.

Know what work you need before you hire a contractor. It will be difficult for a contractor to give you a price estimate on the phone if they have not seen your current setup is. It will be more hard if you over the phone without the information readily available.

TIP! Lubricate your fan condenser if it has oil ports. You can easily find the ports as they have a rubber or metal cap.

Be sure to clean external condenser units. You don’t know when things are going to pile up, like right after it’s windy or rains, and that can throw a wrench in your system. It can also cause your system to malfunction by overheating.

TIP! Boost energy efficiency by putting your condenser unit in the shade. When the air conditioner pulls in cooler air, it won’t have to do much more to cool it and that will save you a lot of money on energy bills.

Your outdoor HVAC units might suffer when your trees start to lose their leaves. Make sure the fan’s grill is cleaned often during the leaves begin to fall. The fan must not have anything in the way so that air can flow into it, and if it becomes blocked, then your system could suffer.

10 Drops

TIP! It is always a good idea to swap out single pane windows for double pane ones. Try to insulate your windows to prevent air from being lost.

Lubricate your fan condenser once a year. These are often covered with rubber or metal cap. Use SAE 20 oil that is non-detergent and lightweight, and put 10 drops or fewer in each port, putting 10 drops in each port.

A programmable thermostat can help you out when it comes to your power bills. Some of these thermostats can even be controlled from a PC or computer.

TIP! Get your HVAC unit serviced yearly. An HVAC specialist will inspect the entire system, including the oil, the motor, and the ducts.

During the service check, professionals can help by inspecting the system’s motor, oil the unit’s moving parts and ensure the unit has proper freon levels. These simple things will keep your system to run at peak performance.

TIP! Shut off the air conditioning if nobody is home. Even though the house will get hotter, it won’t get too bad if the unit is off.

Don’t ever let your home get too hot. Air conditioners can only cool a home down about 20 degrees in a short time. If your home gets above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, you would only be able to cool it down just above 80 degrees. This is not a healthy environment to live in.

Fan Setting

TIP! Before you hire any HVAC companies, find out how the amount of time they’ve been in business. It is more likely that a contractor who has been in business for a longer time will give you better value for your money.

Air conditioners sometimes ice up at times. The drain line may also freeze over. If this is something you notice, change the setting on your thermostat to the fan setting and this will disable the compressor. You should leave the repair to a professional, even if switching it to its fan setting starts making the ice melt.

TIP! Ask around so you can find a reputable HVAC contractor. People will tell you who they have used and if they are worth calling.

Ask for helpful information when you can find a reputable HVAC contractor. People who have had great service are usually willing to tell of their contractor. This can also help you to avoid undesirable companies.

TIP! Are you thinking about having a new HVAC system installed? Many considerations must be scrutinized. Learn about the size systems need to be for optimal efficiency.

There are plenty of online websites that allow customers to share their experiences with different services. This is useful for finding people that do good work and ones that you don’t.

TIP! All of your windows and doors must be air-tight, in order for your HVAC system to run at maximum efficiency. Be sure that they seal tightly so that no interior air seeps out or exterior air gets inside.

Think about having a radiant barrier installed in your attic so your HVAC system can run better. It blocks outside heat from coming in which will serve as a barrier between your home and the outside. You could even find that you can use your attic as part of your living space if it is done right.

TIP! You can’t know what sized air conditioner to purchase unless you measure the area you need cooled. In general, you need 20 BTU for each square foot.

Are you thinking about having a new HVAC system that’s new? There are many things you should consider. Systems get rated according to the total area they effectively heat or cool. You are better off purchasing a bigger unit that is slightly too large for your needs than purchasing one that is a bit too small.

TIP! Gather the level of experience of the company you are working with. Have they done this type of job before? Though it is possible that a newer contractor will be just fine, you may not want to take the risk.

Check for duct leaks if you you feel your unit seems to not be working efficiently. When you have leaks repaired, you may see that the testing pays for itself.

TIP! D

If the HVAC unit makes a clicking noise, see if there are any obstructions right away. Sometimes debris that gets in the cooling system fans. Look carefully at this prior to calling a service technician.

Square Footage

TIP! In the winter, keep your condenser unit properly covered. This helps the condenser last longer if it is protected when not in use.

Measure the living area you wish to cool before going air conditioning. You can easily calculate this by using the formula: 20 BTUs per square footage of room space. If more than one room needs AC service, make sure to add the square footage together.

TIP! Check in on the contractor’s references. Many people make the mistake of assuming references are legitimate just because they were give up freely, but this is not always the case.

In order to be comfortable in your home 365 days a year, your HVAC system must remain in working order. If you don’t know what you’re doing, a breakdown can break your heart. These suggestions should help you to keep your system running well.